Process and apparatus for emissions reduction from waste incineration

Abstract

A furnace for combustion wherein a combustion chamber is configured such that waste can be advanced from a drying zone, to a combustion zone, to a burnout zone, and then into an ash pit. An air source provides air for drying, combustion and burnout in a primary combustion zone (PCZ). Fuel or a fuel/recirculated flue gas mixture is injected above the PCZ to create a mostly reducing substoichiometric secondary combustion zone (SCZ), to reduce NO.sub.x and decompose other nitrogen bearing compounds entering the SCZ. Vitiated air is injected into the combustion chamber above the mostly reducing SCZ. A process for combustion of the waste includes introducing the waste into the combustion chamber, advancing the waste through the combustion chamber, supplying combustion air to the combustion chamber for drying and combusting the waste and final ash burnout, and removing ash products from the combustion chamber. The fuel or fuel/recirculated gas mixture is supplied into the combustion chamber to create substoichiometric conditions for NO.sub.x reduction and nitrogen bearing compounds decomposition. Overfire air is supplied into the combustion chamber above the substoichiometric zone for thorough mixing and at least partial burnout of combustibles contained within the waste/fuel combustion products.